West Hartford History: What Event Were These People Gathered For?

If you think you know the answer or have a special memory related to the photo, respond in the "Leave a comment" box below this article. We'll run the answer next Monday, along with a new historical photo. The image has been provided by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. For more information on the museum's collection and programs, visit www.noahwebsterhouse.org.

Last week's question was "What Building Is This?" Many people were distracted by the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy, but Gary S. sounded very knowledgeable as he provided the following comment: "This is a picture of Beach Park School on Steele Rd., K-6 with one classroom per grade. The auditorium doubled as the gym. Since the school did not have a cafeteria, we walked home for lunch. Even so, it was a very memorable point of my life."

You're right, Gary. The official answer from the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is: "The Beach School was once located on Steele Road. T. Belknap Beach gave the town the land known as Beach Park with the request that a school be built on it. The school opened in 1926 as a kindergarten-primary school. The School for Young Children is now located in the building."